Top Weekend Trips From Dubai with Friends

Top Weekend Trips From Dubai with Friends

Dubai is one of the most exciting cities in the world, but weekend trips from Dubai can bring you to some exotic destinations you never dreamed of visiting.

The UAE is probably the most centrally located country on Earth, making weekend trips from Dubai far more interesting than anywhere else in the world. While the vast majority of expats work full-time jobs, there is an ongoing joke among expats highlighting the far flung and exotic places expats can travel to in a weekend.

Just this year alone we have taken short trips to Zanzibar, Sri Lanka, Lebanon and Tajikistan and will be heading to Nepal in a few weeks. Here is our list of the top weekend trips from Dubai and some of our favorite tools, tips and tricks to making the most of your time outside of Dubai.

[WATCH] Enjoying the Best Spa and Pool Day in Dubai

First off, you have to plan it right. Some of our most popular videos are our 48-hour video guides which show exactly how we do what we do in such a short amount of time, but planning is essential. A weekend in Dubai isn't Friday morning until Saturday night. If you want to take advantage of your time off start thinking of a weekend starting at 5pm on Thursday and ending at 8am on a Sunday morning - this helps a ton.

Many Dubai expats also travel with friends, which is endless fun and some of our favorite memories are traveling with friends on weekend trips outside of Dubai. We use the GrupTrip app to plan all of our getaways and it is a lifesaver, especially while traveling with friends, simply one of the best travel apps. The app allows us to plan as a group, share our to-do lists to create our group itinerary and keep track of who owes who what and makes it simple for everyone to share all the photos from the holiday. It's little things like GrupTrip that make such a huge difference in taking some of the hassle out of planning and going on a trip.

Lastly, watch your time zones and stick to non-stop flights. If you want to take full advantage of your weekend trips from Dubai, you really need to stick to non-stop flights. Layovers can cost your hours of precious time and even worse, they increase your chance of a flight being delayed or canceled either coming or going

If you've followed this blog you know how much we love to travel and you probably also know that we both work full-time jobs here in Dubai, so our travel is limited to standard weekends and normal holiday days off, but that sure doesn't stop us from seeing the world.

Zanzibar

We'll start with one of the most exotic sounding weekend trips from Dubai, and one of our most memorable. FlyDubai offers non-stop flights to Zanzibar for less than AED1,000 and while the flight is more than 4 hours and there is a quick stop on the return, Zanzibar is just too amazing not to visit if you live in Dubai.

Check out this video of us swimming with dolphins and tell us you haven't dreamed of doing this and read our Complete Guide to 4 Days in Zanzibar for more details on exactly how we did it.

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Lebanon

Visiting Lebanon was always on our list, and with so any Lebanese friend in Dubai we'd been hearing about it for years. We finally took the plunge last minute with good friends of ours and jumped on a plane to Beirut for a three-day weekend. We ended up having the absolute time of our lives and filming our first "48 Hours in..." video there. See our complete guide to 48 hours in Lebanon with everything we did and our complete itinerary.

Tajikistan

Ok, we know, Tajikistan isn't on your bucket list of top weekend trips from Dubai you have to take before you leave is it? Well, it should be. A short three hour non-stop flight, clean and beautiful nature, friendly people and delicious and cheap food and drink - what's not to love?

A visit to the Fann mountains is a must but even just a weekend in Dushanbe will be unforgettable. Get out of your comfort zone a bit, but learn a couple phrases in Russian before leaving if you can! Check out our complete guide to 48 hours in Tajikistan for all you need to know and watch the video below.

Oman

Ahh the beautiful neighbor to the East of Dubai, Oman is often overlooked by Dubai expats looking for the best weekend trips from Dubai, but it should be right at the top of your list, especially if you have never been before. Even in the middle of the summer, the beautiful Jebal Shams mountains are a perfect spot for hiking and camping in Oman and are cold enough you'll need a fire and long pants - even in July.

While Muscat isn't the biggest city in the world, it is a 45-minute flight away and nature, beaches, and outdoor activities just outside the city are endless and totally different than anything you'll find in Dubai.

Sri Lanka

Easily one of the most popular weekend trips from Dubai for many expats, Sri Lanka provides a complete escape from Dubai with relaxed beaches, totally different culture, tons of history and absolutely delicious food - just a couple hours flight from Dubai.

We've even done Sri Lanka in 36 hours, and while a bit rushed, we had plenty of time to get to a nice hotel on the beach in the beautiful seaside village of Hikkadewa, enjoy swimming with sea turtles, visiting a Buddhist temple and relaxing in the sun - all without taking a single minute off work.

*EXTRA* Don't want to get on an airplane but still looking for a weekend adventure outside of Dubai? Check out our complete guide to the 5 best road trips from Dubai.

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